street dog." Tramp shook his head, stopping in front of Fang and sitting down in the grass. The sun was coming up. "Why don't you find yourself a nice family that loves you?"

"Is that what you did?" Fang sneered at the older dog. A nasty smile curled at the corners of his muzzle. "Rent a collar and woo a Spaniel," he jerked his head toward Lady disrespectfully, "and suddenly you got free meals and a cushy pillow--complete with fenced-in yards and a nice doghouse?"

Tramp bared his teeth. "Get out of here. I made my choice. You've made yours. Don't show your face in this yard again."

"Or what?" Fang smirked. Sure, he was a kid and Tramp was an adult--a retired Street Dog, the best one ever--but Tramp was too decent now to whup him.

"Or I'll make you wish you hadn't," Tramp replied simply. Fang was impressed with the calm tone of voice he displayed, along with the skill to back up his words, but he didn't show it.

Angel leaned towards Fang. "You better get out of here, Fang," she said in a tone that told him not to mess with her this time. "Go back to your alleys."

"Yeah," Scamp agreed. Fang took a snap at him and missed. Tramp stepped in front of the house dog group, blocking Fang from them--and Angel.

"Get moving," Tramp snarled. "And don't ever come back."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Do y'mind? I'm walking here!" Fang barked. Crossing the street, a few horse-drawn truck-like vehicles has nearly crushed him. Of course he knew the humans couldn't understand him--but perhaps dumb animals like horses would.

Fang safely crossed to the park. The morning had quickly gotten ugly, rain pouring from the sky to soak his golden pelt and turn it chestnut-brown.

Afghanna and Skip were waiting for him under a grove of thick bushes, where it was safely dry.

"How'd that go?" Skip growled, as usual, when he saw him.

"Shut up." Fang shook himself dry, wetting Afghanna, who was on his left.

"D'you mind?" She exclaimed, shaking her ears. "I was just getting dry."

"So sorry," Fang muttered. He lay down and but his head on his paws.

Afghanna softened. "You okay?"

"Never better, Affy, just brilliant."

"It didn't go well, did it?" Afghanna nudged him with her nose.

"Nah, where'd y'get that idea?" Fang answered moodily. "Went great. We're plannin' a honeymoon in her backyard."

"Growl louder," Skip commented dryly, "I think the fish in the pond didn't hear you."

"Quiet!" Afghanna snapped at him. She turned back to Fang, bending her head to his level where he lay. "So what if it didn't work out? You've got us."

Fang was silent.

"C'mon, Aff," Skip grumbled. "We aren't wanted."

Afghanna looked down at Fang. "Fang?"

The Golden Retriever pup turned his head away.

Afghanna's eyebrows lowered. She scowled. "Whatever."

Fang glared at nothing as they left.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Scamp! Angel! Catch!"

Junior tossed the small blue-and-yellow ball. The two pups went after it immediately, bowling each other over to see who could get to the object first.

Scamp caught it and ran around the living room with Angel on his heels, Junior clapping his little hands.

"Rrrghhaa!" Scamp leaped high into the air, ball still in his mouth, and jumped onto the sofa.

"Scamp!" Jim Dear's head appeared in the doorway. "What have I told you about climbing on the furniture? Down!"

Scamp's ears drooped and he hopped down. Angel tackled him.

"Got it!" Angel cried around the ball in her mouth. She dropped it, panting. "I win, tenderfoot!"

"Yeah," Scamp gasped for breath. "Hey, Angel, about yesterday..."

"Don't worry," Angel touched his cheek with her nose. "It wasn't your fault. At least I have my collar back on."

Scamp grinned nervously. "Heh heh, yeah."

"Settle down, you two," Tramp strolled into the room, Lady at his side. "Scamp, were you climbing on the sofa?"

Scamp swallowed hard. "Uh, no?"

Lady put her front paws on the sofa, sniffing it all over. "Pawprints--Scamp!"

Scamp looked away. "Uh, er, are y'sure those aren't...your pawprints, Ma?"

Lady gave him a stern look.

"Sorry." Scamp muttered.

"Perk up, pal," Tramp nudged him. "Darling won't blame you for that." Walking away, he muttered, "Happens every week."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Beat it, whiskers, nobody wants you here!" Fang took a particularly nasty snap at an orange tabby cat that dared to wander into his alley and try to steal his day-old steak.

The cat yowled and hissed and sped away down the alley. Fang snorted in his direction--or where he had been--then stormed back to his steak, chewing on it angrily.

"Friends!" Fang snorted. "Who needs 'em? I'm cool on my own." He lifted his head, eyes closed, crooked smile appearing. "Yeah! King of the block, that's me."
 

A low growl came from behind him. Fang turned. Two big, ugly mutts snarled, baring their teeth, and headed his way.

"Of course, I am a generous ruler," Fang grinned nervously as he backed away. "Here, take my crown, fellas," He nudged the steak towards them and turned tail, running towards a stack of crates and trash cans, leaping to the rooftop of the building on the left that made the alley.

He heard a noise behind him. Trapped on an iron rod sticking out of the buildingtop he was on, Fang saw a tarp flapping in the wind. Perfect.

He snatched it up and click-clacked with his claws/doggie-nails across the buildingtop to where he could look down into the alley where the mutts were growling at each other over who got the steak he'd left. Fang sneered, relishing the moment, then called down:

"Hey fellas, don't it seem cold today?"

The dogs looked up, grunting in surprise and confusion. "Uhhhrr?"

"Yep, it's chilly out. Sure you don't need a blanket?"

The dogs exchanged glances, not sure how to respond. What a couple of boneheads.

"You do?" Fang batted his eyelids. "Okay, catch!"

He flung the tarp down. Bam! Right on target, floating down on top of the mutts. The ugly dogs scrambled, flipping onto their backs and trying to escape, legs tangled. Whining and growling and snarling hit Fang's ears.

"Not enough? How about some blockage from this wind? Killer breeze, ain't it?" Fang grunted as he hopped down onto the crate pile. He tipped over trash cans and their lids, even using all his strength to shove a few crates.

The trash can lids rammed into the mutts, causing them to squeal. Soon they had darted out of the alley, running into walls and tripping over each other. Why? They still wore the tarp.

"Eh-heh heh heh heh," Fang chuckled wickedly. He hopped down into the alley and snatched up the steak.
"Don't mess with my meat, fellas."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Well, well!" Fang stopped. "What have we here?"

He had spotted two familiar figures in the distance on the sidewalk. Two pups, collarless, teasing the dogcatcher.

The female snapped at the dogcatcher's heels while the small male barked loudly and hopped onto his hind legs in order to put his front paws on the man's legs.

The net came down. It got the female. Fang stiffened.

He backed into another alley, running down it and skidding to a stop, paws still running, and turned the corner into another alley, where you could look ahead and see out to the streets, right where the dogcatcher's truck was parked on the sidewalk.

He charged head-on towards the back of the truck, leaping silently onto the wooden landing in front of the caged back door. He sprang onto the top of the truck with ease; the vehicle wasn't that great where height was concerned. He padded to the edge, where he could see the commotion below.

He let out a bark and a howl.

The dogcatcher turned, eyes wide. "What the--" he narrowed his gaze. "You again? Down, boy! Git!" He waved his arms.

Fang sat down and yawned.

"You little--" The dogcatcher fumed. He grabbed the net, the female pup still swinging inside it, and flung her into the caged back-of-the-truck. He closed and locked the door, moving to step on the wooden landing and to climb up after the Golden Retriever pup.

Fang wiggled his eyebrows and skidded across the top of the truck. He stopped at the edge of the back, then leaned down and casually snatched the dogcatcher's hat.

"Hey, now, boy, hand it over!" The dogcatcher whistled for the pup. He seemed much nicer than the bozo Angel had told Fang about--the dogcatcher that had locked Scamp in a cage once with a monster dog named Reggie.

"Here, puppy, puppy, come on, boy!"

Fang cocked his head and play-crouched, waggling his rear end. "Here, dogcatcher, dogcatcher, come on, guy!"

Of course, the human couldn't hear this.

"Catch!" Fang growled. He flung the hat down the sidewalk, into a trash can.